LA Fire
by iborj
Summary: Veronica becomes a firefighter candidate, meanwhile attends Hearst College
1. Newbie on the house

L.A. Fire

**Summary:** Veronica becomes a firefighter candidate, meanwhile attends Hearst College

Hi folks hi hope you enjoy this fanfic, please de gentle with the comments because English is not my birth language also I don't own nothing from the VM Show.

I relocated Neptune and I made it a district from LA. Here is the picture; it took me 5 minutes with Photoshop.

Also I want to apologize in advance for some of the inconsistencies that it may happen during this fanfic, thoughts are in italics.

**Newbie on the house**

**Veronica POV**

Veronica walks carrying a handbag and a big red bag with her firefighter gear, fresh out from High school and fire academy but with her characteristic geeky appearance, loose and unhealthy hair, orthodontic brackets and the remains of acne.

_Ok, here I am, welcome to fire station 17, one of the worst destinations in Los Angeles, _Veronica thinks while standing outside of the old building who is the resident of Engine 55 and Ladder 49.

_It doesn't matter after I spent the last years bullied in High School, being the candidate won't be so hard to endure._

-"Hey. You the new rookie?" says a firefighter sat in the front desk reading a newspaper.  
-"Uh, yeah, I'm looking for, uh, Captain..."  
\- "Hey, yo, Frank. What's up?" Says another one behind Veronica, passing her meanwhile bumping into her bags.  
-" What's up, Tommy?" answers the one in the desk almost ignoring Veronica.  
-"Drop your bag .Uh, take the spiral staircase, look for the door that says Captain's Office." Continues without look a second time to Veronica.

-"Thanks." Says Veronica, dropping her big red bag and taking the stairs to the first floor following the other firefighter.

-" What's up?"  
\- "Any breakfast?"  
-"Yeah, in the kitchen."

Veronica heard before entering in a room that is filled with couches and a lot of mementos from the people of the 17th.

-"How are you doing? " Chirps Veronica to the firefighter resting in one of the couches as she enters in the restroom. Getting no response from him.

_Fuck, what is wrong with those guys, I know they don't like girls in this man club that the firefighters are, but it won't kill them if at least said hello one on a while.  
_

-"Captain Pridgen?" asks Veronica to a new firefighter entering the room.  
\- "You the new rookie?"  
\- "Yeah."  
\- "Jack Morrison." Says the man offering his hand.

-"Veronica Mars." Says back shacking his hand.

\- "Captain's Office is back there." Pointing to a dirty old door.

Veronica knocks before entering  
-"probationary firefighter Veronica Mars reporting, sir."

The only thing that Veronica can hear is the snoring from the man seating in the desk full of reports and with a bottle of whiskey up on the front.  
_Man I hope that the captain is not drunk at work; I can't bear another Lamb alike useless person in charge._

-"Sir?"  
-"Sir?" says again rolling her eyes in annoyance, before a watch alarm stats beeping.

-"Your shift started at seven, kiddo." Says the captain turning off the watch alarm.  
-"Uh, well, sir, I was already here" _Please don't start with this crap so soon.  
_-"Ah, save it, sit down." Waving one cigar and using a face that looks like he doesn't care.

As soon Veronica sits the captain continues using his face of serious business.  
-"Now, let me tell you somethin', girl, firehouse 17 is the busiest and most disciplined firehouse in the city. No room for slackers. You got that?"  
-"I know that, sir." _Yeah right, then why everybody gave me the condolences in the academy?_  
-"We get over 4,000 calls a year, that's a lot of action, gotta be willing to go the extra mile.  
Are you, Veronica? Are you willing to go the extra mile?" Continues the captain meanwhile he takes another glass and putting it right In front of Veronica moments before filling it up.  
\- "Well, yes, sir."  
-"I don't think so." Finish the captain whit a slurred voice hitting the desk with the fist.  
-"I can." Retorts Veronica, trying not to be surprised because the captain is clearly drunk.

Then Jack appears in the office and knocking the door frame says  
-"Sorry, Cap. Father Hogan's here."

The Captain put on a face of heavy thinking  
-"Uh, I'll go last. I'll go last. Let her go first. Go ahead. Go ahead, Veronica."

Then the man rises staggering from his chair, and totally surprising Veronica by not wearing pants, just a white with red hearts boxer shorts and the heavy duty boots.  
-"Yeah, so, Veronica... OK. Welcome to, uh, House 17." Says walking unstable to the front of his desk and giving Veronica a friendly tap in her shoulder.

-"Good to have you on board, kiddo, ok get out." Then he walks back to his chair  
-"Well, thank you, sir." Finish Veronica, and before the captain sees her, she puts one finger in the glass filled with whiskey and taste it.

-"So, Veronica, you Catholic?" Jack asks as Veronica walks out from the office  
-"Not really, why? "

-"Most of the guys are, uh... we have a thing here. A priest comes around twice a year.  
We all go to confession. In this job, you need it, I mean, you get enough fires, you find God."  
-"Ok I'll see him." _Yeah, Ice tea instead of whiskey like Duncan Kane used to drink at Poker Nights, the captain faking to be drunk, the rest of the guys in the restroom are gone and finally a priest, I can sense I am going to be a victim of a prank._

She Enters in an empty room with a single chair close to a curtain situated like in a confessional place in a church, the she sits with a sigh. Then she hears a voice coming from the other side of the curtain.

-"A good confession now, daughter."  
-"Bless me, Father... Uh, bless me, Father, for I have sinned. Says Veronica trying to remember the words.  
-"It's been, uh... seven years since my last confession." Lies Veronica.  
\- "Seven years is a long time."  
\- "Yes, Father."  
-"All right, where do we start? Theft? Robbery? Fraud? Taxes?"  
-"Well, you know."  
-"Taxes? Always taxes, How 'bout sex? Impure thoughts?"  
-"Well, yes, quite a bit."  
-"Try to cut back, are you a virgin?"  
\- "No, Father." _Not since Shelly Pomroy´s party_  
-"Oh, you think it's funny to fornicate with loose men?" continues the priest with a low noise of men snickering.  
_Yeah right, I am going to give you something big so you can laugh at my expense, but at the end you will be embarrassed that you got the Intel from this prank. _

-"Uh, no, no, not at all." says at the end Veronica  
-"Well, if you wanna have sex, you should get married."  
\- "I can't."  
\- "Why?"  
-"It's not allowed."  
-"What do you mean, it's not allowed?"  
_Okay, now for the grand finale, nothing that at the end they will not know but…_

-"Well, the church doesn't allow two women to get married, Father."  
-"Excuse me?" says the voice in clearly shock.  
-"I'm gay."  
Then Veronica stands up and drawing back the curtain she finds a bunch of firefighters looking at her in shock and embarrassment, and clearly not knowing what to say to her.

-"That means that I can go to a strip club with you guys" finally says Veronica trying to defuse the awkward situation.

-"Uh… Lieutenant Mike Kennedy from Ladder 49" says quickly the exdrunk in shorts those fellas are Tommy drake, Don Miller, Ray Gauquin, Frank McKinney, Lenny Richter and you met Jack Morrison earlier".

The smiles appears again on the crew as Veronica smiles at them while shaking their hands like is not big deal and she is not uncomfortable with being out the closet.

-"Ok Veronica you will be posted in Engine 55, right now they are out, car crash, they will be here in an hour, but in the meantime we are going to give you the station tour, are you ready?"

-"Yeah… Sure but the captain…"

-"He is not here, he is downtown in a staff meeting or something with the major´s office."

-"So when the cat is away…"

-"Sorry for the prank Veronica, we are terrible sorry, can I give you a piece of advice?"

-"Sure."

-"Don't tell the captain that you are gay."

-"Why, is he homophobic?"

-"No but he is an asshole and he will try to humiliate you in an anti homophobic fashion way"

-"I thought that I wasn't in High School anymore"

-"My little Veronica, you spent your youth wanting to grown up, and we fossils want to be younger's again, and life is like a big High School, you know… with Jocks, Cheerleaders, Geeks, Bullies, it will be like you never left High School"

_Veronica Mars 0, High School 1, I spent 2 years ignored by the people of my school for being the daughter of the police department captain, and the other 2 bullied for being the only friend of Yolanda Hamilton._

Taking his advice under consideration she follows the Lieutenant around the old and battered fire station.

Captain Pridget and Firehouse 17 are borrowed from Chicago Fire, the firefighters are from the movie Ladder 49 and the geeky Veronica appearance is from You Again Movie.

In Europe you can start driving lessons before 18 but the requirement for having the driving test is you have 18 the day of the test, so I applied more or less the same for the fire academy Veronica took the test when she finished High School. Please remember this is fanfiction.


	2. Welcome to engine 55

Thanks to lunky for his review.

**Welcome to engine 55**

**Veronica POV**

When Veronica finishes the station tour she walks down the ground floor to prepare all her gear. Close to the entrance are located the gears lockets, but before suing one of the emptied ones, she thinks to herself that is better to ask which one she can use, just in case, she don't want to use one assigned to another firemen.

So she walks to the reception desk and finds Frank sitting and reading the newspaper again.

-" Ehmmm… Frank Right?" ask Veronica a little bit shy.

-"Yes? Rookie" Smiles while dropping the newspaper in the desk.

-"I just want to know which locker is empty, in order to get ready my gear properly"

-"I'll show you, in fact let me help. You, rookies always comes to work, eager to enter in your first fire and always forgets to take care of the equipment"

Frank rises from the desk and walks Veronica to the lockers, and starts to explain how the gear has to be prepared, in order to spend the less time possible to get dressed, when they finish with the gear Frank continues with the mask and the tools, like in a brief tutorial. Veronica feels that getting all this information first hand from an active firefighter is way better from any lesson from the academy.

-"Ok, rookie that's all. And let me give you a friendly advice, I know that all the new firefighters wants to jump in action at the very first sign of fire, but remember kid, don't be a hero, dead firefighters can't save no one, so stick with the procedures and follow your lieutenant orders to the letter." He finish with his speech and goes back to the front desk.

Veronica spends the rest of the time reviewing all the tools and gear until the Engine 55 returns from their assignment. As the fire truck enters in the station, Veronica can see that the truck is very old, rusty and very bumped and the sounds on the engine, clearly states that is a very unreliable one. Basically Engine 55 is a piece of junk. Once the truck stops five firemen exits it. But before doing anything else, the alarm sounds.

-" Engine 55, Ladder 49, house on fire on 35th Roywood Street, Engine 55, Ladder 49, house on fire on 35th Roywood Street".

Then everybody runs to the trucks, Veronica is frozen, nothing ever prepares anybody to this thing, even with the fire drills, this is real life.

-"You rookie wake up, move your ass quickly" Says one of the 55th firemen.

Veronica then moves fast where she left her gear and stars dressing her bunker pants, heavy duty boots, grabs her bunker coat, helmet and runs to her designated truck. She is the last one to sit inside and at the very moment she closes the door, the fire truck starts moving towards the firehouse entrance, with the sirens already on Veronica feels the rush of the thrill and smiling she salutes the other firemen.

-"Hi I am Veronica Mars, I'm the new firefighter ".

-"So you are the new rookie, Terrence Kahn". Says a tall blonde man on her left, then a man with light dark skin who is seated close to Terrence continues with the presentations.

\- "Lionel Bradford, but everybody calls me Burr"

-"Pep Clemente" finish a beautiful Latina woman, "The driver is Joe Musto and the Lieutenant is Connor Fahey".

-"Pep?"

-"Yeah, mi complete name is Maria Jose Clemente, the diminutive is Pepa, but Pep is way cooler, so you can call me Pep"

-"Ok boys and girls quit the chat, we are arriving and we have reports of house on fire, somebody is having fun with the matches and the gasoline, so be ready for the unexpected; Mars, as soon we arrive to the fire you follow me understood? "Not waiting for an answer continues "Joe about three more blocks, Right after North Avenue".  
-"All right, boss" says Joe Musto the driver while honking the fire truck horns.

-"Move out of the way, asshole!" Starts shouting Joe when they approach a crossroads full of cars moving out of the fire trucks way, and then looking back to the passenger area says to Veronica.

-"How you feelin', kid?, It's your first fire, are you ready to break your cherry?"

-"Ok, we are there, ´Burr´ that one, grab that plug!" points Lieutenant Fahey to one of the fire hydrants

-"Got you, boss". Then Lionel Bradford jumps from the fire truck carrying a hose coupling and goes to the end of the truck.

-" We have a three-story brick building, flames showing second and third floor, Kennedy, do you know were Captain Pridgen is?" asks Lieutenant Fahey by the walkie talkie.  
When Bradford grabs one of the fire hose from the truck he starts yelling "Go! Go! Go! Go!"

The fire truck moves towards the building in fire were Ladder 49 is already deploying the aerial ladder. As the Engine 55 stops all firefighters jumps off the truck and move quickly, Veronica moves closer to Lieutenant Fahey.

\- "Mars, Your helmet!"

_Way to go Veronica, my first fire and I already forgot to carry my own helmet_

-"Sorry Boss" finally says Veronica with an apologized face.

-"Don´t be sorry, today you are the pipe man".

_Ok ok ok , take it easy Veronica, breathe and follow the Lieutenant_.

Veronica moves closer to Lieutenant Fahey who is grabbing the nozzle of the fire hose that Bradford is attaching to a fire hydrant. Veronica quickly picks the bulk of the fire hose and moves to the front door. 

-"Slow down. Slow down. You're getting tangled up. Let it go, let it go." Starts yelling Lieutenant Fahey while he is following Veronica and undoing all the rookie mistakes she is doing.

-"Single line, single line. Come on. Let it go. You are tangling the fire hose"

Veronica tries to follow all the instructions but she is clearly nervous and the Lieutenant is repeating all of them like she is a baby and in need of guiandance, not that Veronica disagrees, she really needs all the help she can get.

When she reaches the front door another fireman is already there kicking the door open.

-"Mars, Go in low" continues Lieutenant Fahey as soon as she enters in the house

-"All right, stop here. Mask up"

Then Veronica removes her helmet an prepares her breathing mask, and before she put her helmet back on she can hear the Lieutenant yelling charge the line.  
-"Charge it!" somebody repeats the order to the firemen in charge of the pump.

-"All right rook we have pressure. Go! Go!" Veronica feels the fire hose now is ready and she continues moving to the stairs towards the first floor, at the moment she reaches the first floor Veronica hears her Lieutenant move the fire hose over the side, to avoid getting stuck, but at some point she can hear her own breathing rhythm better than the Lieutenant orders.

-"Slow down!, continue to the second floor, the first one is clear"

The same happens at the second floor, but she can see that smoke is coming from the floor upstairs, one indication that somewhere in the third floor is an active fire. Veronica continues moving and at the moment she reaches the third one the smoke is coming from one of the apartments.

-" Just keep goin'." Says Lieutenant Fahey and reaching the door, he touches it with his hand to check the increase of temperature that clearly indicates active fire inside.  
-"You ready?" checks Lieutenant Fahey, and with the nod of approval from Veronica, he opens the door.  
-"Move it in!, Come on, move it!"

_Oh my…. _Starts thinking Veronica at the sight of the fire inside of the house, covering one of the sides and the end of the apartment. The first reaction is open the nozzle but before she can do it her Lieutenant says to her.  
\- "No, not yet. Not yet."

-"When? When? Ask Veronica eager to use the fire hose.

-"Move in. I'll tell you, Move in."

They move deeper into the middle of the house, closer to the fire, and with a tap in her helmet, he indicates she can start opening the nozzle.  
-"Now, now!"  
-"I got it, Boss, I got it!"  
\- "Easy, easy. Hit it! Hit the fire".

Lieutenant Fahey feels the nervousness from Veronica and starts reassuring her, that he is with her, that she is not alone.

"Ok Mars, you are doing great, Hit it it high!"  
\- "I'm trying, I'm trying!"  
\- "Good. Move in. Now, now!, we have to go closer"  
One more minute the fire stars to fade, is almost gone and veronica is smiling through her mask  
-"You did it, kid. Good job."  
When the fire is extinguished Veronica comes down to the ground level and clearly overexcited and the rest of the firemen starts to clap and yell in emotion, many of her colleges come and huggers her, some even ruffles her hair. A new firefighter is baptized.

In the way back to the firehouse Veronica stays in a cloud of happiness, like she don't touch the ground, the day is brighter, the sky feels more blue than usual, everything is way better.

-"Mars I need to talk with you in my office" Says Lieutenant Fahey when they arrive.

She follows him to his office, close to the Captain's and pointing to one of the seats close to the desk she sits on it.

-" Ok kid, you did a good job today, not every firemen gets actual action in their first day, so consider yourself lucky".

-"Thank you sir, I was very nervous at the beginning"

He smiles while picking a folder "imagine my surprise, when I check your name with the police, I do always with the recruits, and I got this…" Veronica starts panicking.

-"solving credit card fraud, finding missing father, catching two guys in a confidence scam, finding missing pregnant neighbor, infiltrating in a peace-loving cult, arrested for selling fake IDs, some mess with the Russian mob, exonerated a fellow classman from trying to bomb your school, solving a kidnapped dog case, solving the Jackie Cook murder, PI license at seventeen, emancipated at the same age, and this goes on and on…." Finish dropping the folder in the desk.

-"I don't get it, you have a Hearst college scholarship, and here you are, playing with fire."

-"If you have read the entire file, you will know that my father died with an unidentified woman in a fire, in a house in the middle of the desert. I want to study criminology so I can become an arson investigator, so deads like my father´s won't be catalogued as unfortunated accidents".

-" I understand the need of investigate the dead of you father, my brother died six months ago in a fire, and I think it was arson, but at some point you will have to let it go, for your own sake Veronica."

-"I know, but I can't let it go for now, not until I have a chance to investigate it".

-"Ok one last thing, we can't change the fact that you are so tiny, but we can make you a little bit stronger, Clemente is going to put you in shape, she is already waiting for you, boxing kickboxing or whatever, I never understood what she is doing with the punching bag"

-"by the way I was exonerated for selling fake IDs". Says Veronica smiling, before leaving the Lieutenant office.

In Spain we use a lot of diminutives from the names, one example is Francisco whose diminutive is Paco, and the same is Maria Jose, which I used in the chapter.

The Firefighters from Engine 55 are borrowed from the movie Firehouse Dog.

The dead of Keith Mars is a modification from the events in Welcome Wagon.


	3. The new me

**Sumary: **you all know the drill; I don't own the characters blablablabla.

Sorry for taking so long in publish this chapter but last week died the mother of one f my closest friends due a pulmonary cancer and the week before one of my father's closest friend died of brain tumor, so is being a rough month. But sadly life continues without our love ones so please enjoy the story.

Also tanks to Josielynn, Lunky and Jane for their comments.

**The new me**

**Veronica POV**

-"Buff, I am exhausted Pep, you are an excellent fitness trainer is been one week only, but I feel that I can lift the whole truck" says Veronica sweating while she is punching a sandbag.

-"This is only the beginning V, and before you finish Lieutenant Fahey wants to speak with you in his office".

-"Our shift is almost over so I am going to talk to him right now".

Veronica walks to the first floor while uses a towel then the sound of the telephone stars ringing.

-"Joe! Get the phone!" shouts Pep from the punching bag she is obviously sing it again.

-" You get it!, I'm making lunch!" shouts back Joe from the kitchen.

-" You get it!" continues Pep.

-"No, you get it!, You're closer, okay?!

-"I'll get it, I am closer ok!" ends Veronica running to the telephone "fire station 17, May I help you?

-"Hi Probie, is Lionel"

-" Oh, Hi what do you need?"

-"Can you tell Lieutenant Fahey, that we just saw Shane on Fulton Avenue".

-"Shane is Lieutenant Fahey's son right?" But before Veronica can hear the answer, she hears another person talking close to Lionel. "Hey, ask her if today's Malcolm X's birthday".

-"Is that Terrence?, and why is he talking about Malcolm X's birthday?"

-"Well he told us that he don't have school today because today is Malcolm X's birthday".

-" I'll talk with the boss, but you might bring him in, just in case". Sighs at the end, it seems like one of her lame pretext to avoid Physical education.

-" Lieutenant, Lionel and Terrence just spot jour son skipping class, they are bringing him here". Comments Veronica after knocking at his door's office.

-"Again?, since my brother's death, Shane wasn't the same, he skip classes, and his grades are going low, I don't know what to do anymore". Sighs with a sad face.

-"Are those…." Says Veronica trying to change the subject and pointing to a group of boxes apparently full of folders and what it looks like a board map with a lot of color pushpins.

-"My investigation of the fires and possible arsons of this firehouse area, but as far I can see, I can't make any more progress, maybe you can bring a new fresh perspective, Would you give it a try?".

-"Yeah sure boss, you can count me on, thanks, I'll pick those reports after my duty shift ends"

-"Ok rookie, the crew is going to wash the truck, so you better go and help".

-"Right away, boss". Says finally leaving the office to pick all the cleaning products.

-"Aaand don't forget, tomorrow we have the firefighters picnic and tonight is your initiation party, don't worry nothing life threatening ".

When Veronica gathers all cleaning products and several buckets, She, Joe and Pep starts cleaning their truck, the firehouse SUV stops closer to the main gate, Lionel, Terrence and a boy who should be Lieutenant Fahey's son, Shane, exits the car and before the boy says anything Joe starts.

-"Your father is waiting for you in the locker room, and he is seriously angry."

-"Yeah, what else is new?" continues the boy with a face of indifference.

-"I guess you'll find out, when you get punished" finish Joe while scrubbing one of the sides.

-"Hey, dude, just do what I do, the second he opens his mouth, start crying." Smiling says

-"Or better yet, tell him it's in your DNA, That means everything horrible you do is his fault. Lionel closes the door while carrying some boxes of supplies.

-"Joe, how do I play this one?" ask Shane

-"Play?, You get in there, look him in the eye, and say you're sorry. Go!" shouts Joe angrily.

Shane walks slowly to the inside of the firehouse.

-"Give him a break, Joe, Kid's mom split, when he was, like, two, he's an orphan".

-"He's not an orphan Terrance, he's got a dad".

-"Yeah, so no mom and a firefighter dad, pretty much makes him an orphan".

-"Well, he's got us Pep".

All of them sigh indicating that this is not an alternative, then Veronica continues scrubbing close to Pep.

-"V, you need a good makeover change, I have seen your clothes, and your hair could use a nice haircut".

-"Do you think so Pep? I don't know where to begin with!"

-"Don't worry as soon as we finish here we can have a girls afternoon ad go shopping, and I know the right place to take care of your hair, and your skin V, you still look like an school geek".

When their duty shift is finish they go to the shopping mall, Pep had her ride off the pastels and pinks and girlish clothes she used to wear. Her new Image will be tougher so she picks out reds and blacks and greens. She finds jeans and miniskirts and stuff she's never wear before. New Jackets and green cups that screams she is wild and bold. Combat boots that shows she is not longer the shy and geeky Veronica. And to finish her new image Pep walks to her Aunt Gloria's hair salon, where she finally opts for a radical hair style and cuts her own to a very short one, where she is taught by Gloria how to take care of her skin, and to get rid of the brackets. Finally they went from Gloria's hair salon to the place where her initiation party is held.

-"An Irish Pub?, we are firefighters and we party in an Irish Pub?, this is so cliché"

-"Come on Veronica, you look gorgeous" reinforces Pep. "today is your first day of the new you, think it like a test, and please have fun, you like that you never had a party in your school".

When Veronica and Pep walks in the pub, all the firefighters gathered there starts to cheer and shout loudly until they reach the group.

-"Veronica, have you ever had one of these?" laughs Jack pointing several filled glasses.  
-"No, don't do it, what is this?  
\- "Oh, it's an Irish Car Bomb, yeah. Here, you put it in like this" he picks one of the shot glass and drops inside of one larger glass "let it drop right in there, and chug it all at once".  
-"Are you doing one Lieutenant Kennedy?"

-"Call me Mike when we are off duty V, may I call you V?, I can see Pep's work, you look better and no I am stick with beer"  
-"You're gonna love it. Ready?" continues Jack.  
-"You ready?" says Ray in unison  
\- "Oh, it's gonna make me sick". Comments Veronica with a sick face.  
-"Come on. Now..."  
-"One, two, three"

They drop the shot glass while the rest of the crew are chanting  
Drink, drink, drink, drink,  
drink, drink, drink, drink...  
-" Come on!" yells Jack and Ray when they finish their drinks  
\- Go, go, go, go, go, go!  
Go, go, go, go! Continues the crew while Veronica tries to finish her drink  
-"Wow, oh, my God, what was that?. I'm going to be so sick tomorrow."  
-"Let's get another shot!" shouts Ray.

-"I think I gotta slow down a bit." Says Veronica after spending half an hour drinking  
-"No, you gotta get wasted at a Initiation party".  
-"That's tradition".  
-"No, no, no, Jack, the lady knows her limitations. Let her go. Send her home."  
-"Are you calling me a lightweight Tommy?  
\- "Yeah, Lightweight." Challenges Tommy with a poker face.  
\- "Ohh!, we have a challenge"  
-"OK. Last one to empty their glasses runs naked around the bar." Raising a full beer Veronica challenges.  
\- "We got a challenge Boys!"  
\- "Oh, we got a race here! All right. Loser takes off all their clothes." Yells Frank  
-"Ready, on three."  
-"One, two, three." Chants the crew. 

While Tommy starts drinking heavily hoping to win and see her running around in her underwear, Veronica drops the contents from her beer in another glass.

-"No, no, no. What the hell is that?" says incredibly.  
-"I said last to empty their glass. Did I say anything about drinking it?"  
\- "Tom, the lady's right, Tommy." Sentences Frank  
\- "Ohh, man, defeated by the rookie, see, oh, we got a cute one here now, huh?"  
\- "Take it off! Take it off!" cheers the crew.  
Take it off!, Take it off! Take it off!  
Take it off! Take it off! Take it off!

Continues to chant the crew and many of the people in the pub before the crowd starts whistling when Tommy stands and removes his clothes, when Veronica fells somebody's hand in her shoulder, at the moment she turns around that somebody kisses her hard on her lips. The time seems to go slower when she hears a familiar voice.

-"Hello Veronica, it's been a long time babe".

-"Yolanda… Yolanda Hamilton?".

For those who read this story, some of the old Gang will appear in the next chapter, and I'll try to start with the Hearst plot as soon as I can.


End file.
